Papel is positioning itself as a social network designed specifically for researchers, combining paper discovery, AI-powered comprehension tools, and community features in one platform. The app offers a personalized feed that ranks papers based on user interests, trending topics, freshness, and community engagement, with vector-similarity powered recommendations ensuring users never see the same paper twice.

The standout feature is an AI chat that lets users ask questions about any paper and receive answers grounded in the full PDF text. This RAG pipeline operates entirely on-device using Apple Intelligence or local MLX models, meaning user data never leaves their device. This privacy-first approach to academic research assistance could appeal to researchers working with sensitive data.

Papel adds gamification elements including AI-generated quizzes on every paper, with users earning +50 XP for perfect scores. The platform tracks streaks and awards academic ranks from Undergrad to Nobel Laureate. Community features include likes, comments, shares, and direct messaging between researchers, along with public academic profiles displaying rank badges.